Cotton picker doffer



INVENTOR. James E SadZer United States Patent 3,151,432 CQTTON PICKER DOFFER James E. Sadler, Memphis, Tenn., assignor to International Harvester Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 238,492 3 Claims. (ill. 5641) This invention relates to cotton pickers, and more specifically to a doffer disk for removing cotton from the picking spindles.

A broad aspect of the invention involves the provision of a novel throw-away doffer disk which is expendable so that it may be inexpensively replaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel doffer lugs is restrictedly flexible to accommodate valiarigid center hub portion which may be metallic and to which is secured as by bonding or otherwise, a nonmetallic plate structure with integrally united doffer lugs and wherein the entire plate structure together with the doffer lugs is restrictly flexible to accommodate variations in the elevation of the spindles which sweep thereunder and to accommodate various volumes of the seed cotton, trash, etc. which is carried by the spindles and which the doffer is adapted to sweep oif the spindles.

The invention contemplates the provision of a metallic center hub and a fiber-impregnated rubber disk structure which encompasses the center hub and extends radially therefrom and is provided with integral doffing lugs about the periphery thereof.

One of the serious problems encountered in the adjusting of dotfers to the cotton picker spindles is the tendency of most operators or mechanics to overtighten the adjustment. This causes excessive wear of the rubbing parts of the doffer and also accelerates the wear of the teeth on the spindles and also the journal mountings of the spindles on the support bars.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel doffer which is entirely flexible so that over-adjustment is obviated.

These and other objects and advantages inherent and encompassed by the invention become more readily apparent from the specification and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the novel doffer disk;

FIGURE 2 is a radial cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

Describing the invention in detail and having particular reference to the drawings, there is shown a dofier generally designated 2 which comprises a metallic hub portion 3 in the form of a sleeve which may have a knurled outer peripheral surface 4 to which is bonded a sleeve portion 5 which is formed of any suitable elastomer material such as natural or synthetic rubber or the like. Adjacent to its upper edge 6, sleeve 5 is formed integral with a substantially radial web 7 of the doffer plate which is also formed of said elastomer material and within this portion there is integrated a layer or a plurality of layers 8 of stiifening material such as fabric ice or wire cord. The web 7 may be rigidified in an area between the sleeve portion 5 and the doffer ring 14 with a plurality of relatively thick ribs 10 and to enhance the rigidity the fabric or stiifening material is contoured to provide a ribbed effect by contouring the same into a U-shaped section 12 generally conforming to the contour of the rib 10.

The ring portion 14 is of annular structure and is provided on one side thereof with a plurality of doffer lugs 15 which have upwardly tapering lateral sides 16 and 17 and the lower face 19 tapers from the peripheral edge 20 of the doffer inwardly whereat it meets at its inner edge 21 With the upper edge of the inner face 22 on the lug, said face 22 sloping downwardly and outwardly.

It will be realized that the flexibility characteristics of the entire assembly are so chosen that they represent or provide suflicient rigidity to excessive deflection and they provide sufficient contact with a crop on the spindles to etfectively work the same way. It will be also observed that since the entire doffer disk is formed of non-metallic material, being primarily elastomer, that there is no possibility of adjusting the doifers, while the lugs are substantially worn out, to a point where a metallic disk as heretofore made by the industry would contact and rub against the spindles. The effect that such spindles would be materially damaged and destroyed and the doifers themselves, as well as all the connecting parts, would be seriously damaged.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated; however, it would be readily recognized that other various forms of the invention become readily apparent to those skilled in the art in the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cotton picker doffer having a metallic sleeve mounting portion, an annular web bonded to the sleeve portion, and doffing means integrated with the web, said web being formed of elastomer material, and at least one layer of fabric within the web extending from the mounting portion to the periphery of the web, said web having a plurality of radial ribs, and said material contoured into U-section folds with the rib to rigidify the same.

2. A cotton picker dofler having a metallic sleeve mounting portion, an annular web of elastomer material bonded to said sleeve portion, dotting means integrated with said web, and reinforcing means within said web extending from the mounting portion to the periphery of the web, said web having a plurality of radial ribs, and said reinforcing means contoured into U-section folds within the ribs to rigidfy the same.

3. The invention according to claim 2 and said web having a ring of elastomer material outwardly of said ribs and integral doffing means including a pair of lugs disposed adjacent to each rib in flanking relation thereto.

Walker Jan. 10, 1956 Radow et al Aug. 19, 1958 

1. A COTTON PICKER DOFFER HAVING A METALLIC SLEEVE MOUNTING PORTION, AN ANNULAR WEB BONDED TO THE SLEEVE PORTION, AND DOFFING MEANS INTEGRATED WITH THE WEB, SAID WEB BEING FORMED OF ELASTOMER MATERIAL, AND AT LEAST ONE LAYER OF FABRIC WITHIN THE WEB EXTENDING FROM THE MOUNTING PORTION TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE WEB, SAID WEB HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIAL RIBS, AND SAID MATERIAL CONTOURED INTO U-SECTION FOLDS WITH THE RIB TO RIGIDIFY THE SAME. 